Mahiru Shirota

Mahiru Shirota (城田真昼 Shirota Mahiru) is the protagonist of Servamp. He is the Eve of Sleepy Ash, the Servamp of Sloth. He is a first year high school student who greatly likes simple things and dislikes complicated things.

Appearance
Mahiru is an adolescent male with short, light brown hair that frames his face. He also has large brown eyes.

Typically, Mahiru can be seen wearing a brown shirt with a white collar. Over his shirt he wears an orange jacket, with his sleeves slightly rolled up. Around his neck, he wears a red tie. In this outfit, Mahiru also wears beige pants that end just below his knees. His sneakers are white and orange.

In illustrations, he’s often seen wearing orange, but apart from that he has a wide range of taste. He mostly opts for comfortable clothes, but he does have formal attire, such as a tie and a vest.

Occasionally, he wears the black and white striped wristband Sakuya gave him.

Personality
Mahiru is open-minded and independent. He’s not afraid to show what he’s truly feeling or thinking, so he can be critical of other people. Mahiru prefers simplicity over difficulty, therefore he behaves quite responsibly. He depends on himself instead of turning to someone else for help, most likely because he never felt the need to rely on others before.

He has a small amount of patience, typically raising his voice when he's irritated or annoyed. He often takes the role as the ‘mother hen’ because he tends to act more mature than his friends or those around him.

However, Mahiru knows how to use his words wisely for encouragement, almost always knowing exactly what to say and what not to say. As soon as he sets his eyes on a goal, he won’t change his mind, doing anything in his power to achieve that goal.

Past
Mahiru's mother died at a very young age. There was no mention of his father, and he didn't have any close family members to take care of him. His uncle, Toru Shirota, decided to take him in and raised Mahiru himself. However, his uncle was very busy and had to spend days away from home because of his work. Mahiru grew up alone and took care of himself. Because of this, he taught himself basic housework, such as cooking, cleaning, and sewing.

Meeting Kuro
On his way home from school, Mahiru finds a black cat laying exhausted on street and cannot move due to the heat so decides to take the cat home, giving him a bell and named him Kuro due to its black fur. However, the next day, Mahiru discovers there's a stranger eating and watching TV in his apartment, prompting him to attack the stranger, which the latter easily dodged. When Mahiru opens the curtain, exposing the young man to sunlight, the man changed into Kuro, which Mahiru confirms again when he closed the curtain, changing Kuro back into the stranger before, revealing the Kuro and the stranger are the one and the same. Mahiru questions what he is, which Kuro answers that he is a vampire. Mahiru questions is Kuro the street slasher who has attacked several people he had recently heard and thought Kuro want to suck his blood and kill him, but Kuro denies, not wanting to drink blood of people like Mahiru. Kuro agrees to leave once it was dark and tells Mahiru he must not call him by his name while he is in his human form. However, mistaking what Kuro meant by name, Mahiru calls him with the name he gave to him, accidentally forming a temporary contract with the vampire and they cannot be separated until the contract is cancelled within 24 hours as long as Kuro doesn't drink Mahiru's blood within the time limit. While shopping, Mahiru and his friends are attacked by another vampire, Belkia. Mahiru tries to convince Kuro to fight, but Kuro refuses, angering Mahiru who tells him to run alone while he tries to help his friends. Mahiru's action urges Kuro to protect him. Refusing to leave Kuro alone, Mahiru decides to finalise their contract by making Kuro drink his blood, making Mahiru Kuro's master or Eve and giving Kuro the necessary power to defeat Belkia. Before Kuro could kill Belkia by drinking his blood, Mahiru stops him, reminding Kuro of his own words that he as the Eve will take all responsibility so Kuro must listen to him, making Kuro to spare Belkia. The vampire reveals that he attacked them under the order of another vampire named Tsubaki who hates Kuro. Shortly afterwards, Mahiru and Kuro lost consciousness, exhausted from the fight.

Encounter with Tsubaki
Awakened the next day in his room, Mahiru contemplates what happened was a dream, which was proven wrong when Kuro talks. Mahiru quickly goes to school and asks Sakuya what happened to Ryusei. When Sakuya made a dejected face, Mahiru thinks that Ryusei didn't make it until the said person arrives. This angered Mahiru who thinks the worst happened and punishes Sakuya as the result. However, Mahiru finds out that Ryusei didn't remember what truly happened yesterday and thinks that the wound he received was from an accident. On his way back home, Mahiru questions Belkia about Tsubaki, only for the vampire in question to appear himself, retrieving Belkia. Tsubaki introduces himself as the eighth Servamp and Kuro's youngest sibling, something that Kuro doubts since he never heard of any Servamp named Tsubaki. Mahiru then questions Tsubaki's intention and protests that he shouldn't be involving innocent people. This only annoys Tsubaki who thinks they are involved, especially Kuro, and proceeds to attack the Servamp. Mahiru tells Kuro to drink his blood, but Kuro refuses because he is still exhausted from the fight yesterday, spitting out Mahiru's blood when the Eve tries to force him to drink. As Tsubaki attacks them again, Mahiru feels a familiar feeling from Tsubaki that he experienced before and decides to make the vampire face him by giving him a name. However, before Mahiru can do so, Tsubaki attacks him, but he and Kuro are saved by another Servamp, All of Love, who moved them to the other side of station and left the two with his e-mail address.

Alliance with Misono and Snow Lily
At school, Mahiru receives e-mail from All of Love. Just as he received the e-mail, he and Kuro are abducted by All of Love's Eve, Misono Alicein who came with All of Love's twin subclasses. At Alicein mansion, Mahiru is introduced to All of Love who now goes by the name Snow Lily, and the Lust Pair demands Mahiru to give Kuro to them so they can defeat Tsubaki. Mahiru and Kuro escapes to a room filled with children, and Mahiru at first mistakes the children as Lily's children, but Lily explained all of them are his subclasses and two of his subclasses were killed by Tsubaki a few days before. Misono then explains his reason to fight to protect those he cares for, a reason that Mahiru able to relate. Mahiru offers Misono to form an alliance instead of fighting alone, an offer that Misono accepts.

Servamp Meeting
Mahiru and Kuro goes to a meeting between Servamps at a nearby family restaurant. There, he meets The Mother of Wrath, World End of Gluttony, and Doubt Doubt of Envy. The discussion goes nowhere as the vampires gets distracted by their own stories and problems, enraging Mahiru who tells them to focus on their current problem regarding Tsubaki and all of them must do something. Mahiru's disposition leads the vampires to point Mahiru as the leader and the one responsible in gathering all seven Servamps. To do this, Kuro must give him a weapon called Lead for Mahiru to fight. Under Kuro's instruction, Mahiru enters Kuro's mind where he is greeted by a Black Cat who tells him to choose his presents. Assuming the present means weapon, Mahiru chooses the simplest looking present and it changes into a broom. Kuro reminds Mahiru that when they first met, Mahiru attacked him with a mop, asking Mahiru does he thinks cleaning tool equals a weapon, which Mahiru denies. Due to their noisiness, they got kicked out from the restaurant.

Battle Against Sakuya, Belkia, and Otogiri
Mahiru hears that Sakuya hasn't come to school for the past few days. Worrying about his best friend, Mahiru decides to visit Sakuya and give him a snack and box lunch. On his way to Sakuya's house, Mahiru starts to have difficulty in remembering Sakuya to the point forgetting who Sakuya is for a second until Sakuya himself approaches him. He is then lured into an empty alley way where he and Kuro are tied by strings. To Mahiru's shock and disbelief, Sakuya reveals himself to be one of Tsubaki's subclass like Belkia. Sakuya accuses Mahiru of not believing in him as friends, so Mahiru tries to explain that he didn't tell anything because he doesn't want to get Sakuya involved, but Sakuya won't hear any of it and attacks him, which blocked by Kuro. Mahiru tells Kuro to drink his blood, but Kuro refuses because it was pointless since Mahiru is unsure whether he wants to protect or fighting Sakuya. Mahiru and Kuro are saved by Misono and Lily, the two able to defeat Belkia. However, Sakuya tricks Misono to let his guard down by using his friendship with Mahiru, which successfully made Misono hesitated and Sakuya uses the opportunity to attacks Misono, injuring him. Enraged at Sakuya for injuring Misono through deception, Mahiru finally decides to fight. Kuro tries to convince Mahiru to escape since Mahiru is still unsure, but Mahiru refuses, feeling guilty for Misono who was protecting him yet he did nothing. Mahiru attacks Sakuya, but as he did so, he becomes afraid and feels that he is not the one who moves his Lead around. Mahiru's uncertainty overflows inside Kuro, causing the Servamp to lose control of his power and tries to engulf Mahiru. As he becomes afraid and almost get engulf, Sakuya tries to help him, revealing that he attacked and taunted him because he wants to die by Mahiru's hands. Before Mahiru can take Sakuya's hand, Doubt Doubt and his Eve arrives, stopping Kuro's rampage and chased away the Subclasses. Mahiru questions Sakuya about his earlier statement, but Sakuya simply gives him back the wristband that he bought for him. Misono's servant, Dodo, arrives to take Misono to hospital and Lily also offers Mahiru to go as well, but Mahiru declines since his wound is not severe. Doubt Doubt's Eve, an antique dealer, then tells Mahiru that he should have killed Sakuya while he can since Sakuya himself wants it. He explains to Mahiru that if the Eve begins to fear the Servamp's power, then the Servamp will gobble him up whole, shocking Mahiru. He then offers Mahiru a chance to nullify the contract between him and Kuro if he is regretting for ever picking up Kuro and then Mahiru can return to his normal life.

Sakuya's Past
The next day, Mahiru contemplates of what it means to wield a power. He doesn't regret picking up Kuro and became his Eve, but is confused because the power he received is different from what he had thought. His thoughts is interrupted when he heard his uncle came home and attacks Kuro whom he thought was a burglar until Mahiru calms him down and introduced Kuro, changing into his cat form, and asks for his permission to keep him. His uncle then takes him to a sushi shop to dinner, coincidently meeting Tsubaki who proceeds to reveal Sakuya's past and sneers Mahiru for not understanding Sakuya even though they are friends. When Tsubaki is leaving, Mahiru wanted to tell Tsubaki to free Sakuya, but couldn't bring himself to say so. Mahiru starts to scolds himself for his inability to understand Sakuya and feels guilty for lying to him without considering his feeling. Mahiru's uncle comforts him, telling Mahiru that if he feels that way, he should set things right again with his friend. At the school festival, Mahiru directly confronts Sakuya and chases after him until they reaches the rooftop. Sakuya refuses to apologize for what he did and persists he is an enemy, but Mahiru insists they are friends and despite most of his memories being a fake, the one whole year he spent times with Sakuya was so much fun. Sakuya states he is not human and then let himself fell from the rooftop. Mahiru catches Sakuya as he tells him that it doesn't matter if he is a vampire because he has the power to take his hand. Mahiru summons his broom and use it to fly to the nearby backyard where he finally reconciles with Sakuya and promises he will stop Tsubaki so Sakuya can be free, which Sakuya is grateful of. Mahiru then tells Kuro that he seriously wants to stop Tsubaki so he needs to become stronger.

Meeting Mikuni and Jeje
A month since Mahiru made contract with Kuro, Mahiru trains himself and demands Kuro to do the same instead of playing game, stating what's important to him are friendship, effort, and victory. Remembering what happened last time when Kuro lost control, Mahiru apologise to Kuro and once again affirms his desire to become strong. Mahiru then notices that Kuro never drink his blood other than when they're fighting and instead eats normal foods. Mahiru tells Kuro that he can drink his blood if he wants to, but Kuro declines because he doesn't want to drink it, confusing Mahiru. Kuro and Mahiru then tries to open the vampire SNS, only to find the website has been closed down. Mahiru asks Lily about this, but Lily himself doesn't know the cause.

On their way home, Mahiru and Kuro once again meet with Doubt Doubt and his Eve who are chasing a subclass and killed him. The sight horrified Mahiru, telling the antique dealer that he doesn't need to kill the vampire, but the antique dealer retorts it's normal to kill their enemies. Seeing how knowledgable the antique dealer is regarding vampires and know that he is actually a nice person since he saved them, Mahiru begs him to teach him how to properly use his Lead, shocking the antique dealer and Kuro. The antique dealer then introduces himself as Mikuni Alicein, Misono's older brother, shocking Mahiru and Kuro. They continues their talk at a nearby restaurant where Mikuni reveals his reason to help them: first is because Kuro is the strongest Servamp and to find out Tsubaki's goal. Mahiru reminds Mikuni that Tsubaki's goal is to start a war, but Mikuni points out that they don't know why he wants to start a war in the first place. This reminds Mahiru when Tsubaki mentions he is trying to lure something. Mikuni then explains that the vampire SNS was maintained by an institution. The mention of the institution surprised and made Kuro uneasy, something that Mahiru notices. Mikuni then asks does Mahiru won't annul the contract he made wit Kuro, something that Mahiru confirms because he is able to reach Sakuya's feeling thanks to what happened. Mahiru determines to become stronger so he and Kuro can become real partners. Together with Lily and Doubt Doubt whose current name is Jeje, Mikuni agrees to train Mahiru.

Weapons and Abilities
Weapon/Lead: Abilities:
 * Broom - Mahiru's Lead first form is a broom that he can summon at any time and use it in various situations, such as flying. He is also able to create a whirlwind that easily breaks through a concrete ceiling by spinning himself and his broom together in a "breakdancing" style, though he sometimes has difficulty in using it.
 * Spear - After entering Kuro's mind, Mahiru's lead changed into a spear. Unlike the first form, this form gives Mahiru more offensive power, the spear is able to be used to slice and strike his enemies. Furthermore, Mahiru is fully accustomed using this spear and has total control of it.
 * Key - This form only appears in anime. This form allows Mahiru to open and see the memories and feeling of his opponent.
 * Servamp Bond: When Kuro drinks his blood, he and his Servamp appear to become more powerful.


 * Parameters
 * Strength: 7/10
 * Tactics: 2/10
 * Cooperativeness: 8/10
 * Mental: 7/10
 * Appearance: 5/10
 * Caring: 9/10

Sleepy Ash
At first, he found Kuro to be lazy and messy, always yelling at him whenever he left crumbs on the floor and the first time they met, he hit Kuro with a broom. But, later on in the chapters, they seem to get closer. After every fight they encounter, the first thing he does is ask Kuro if he is okay. Also, when Kuro mentioned he liked ramen, Mahiru took note of this and bought him packets of ramen and other types of food. When Kuro asked him if he was ever sorry he found him, Mahiru said that he could never, ever regret finding him. Also, when Mikuni asked if he wanted to break the bond between him and Kuro, Mahiru immediately rejected the idea, yelling at him that he wants to be Kuro's equal partner and toughen up. He does not want to decide his and Kuro's fates and choices alone, wanting only himself and Kuro to decide because they are partners, nobody else. He trusts Kuro with his life. When Mahiru suggested if they could get the help of C3, Kuro yelled that they didn't need them. This instantly made Mahiru worried because Kuro doesn't normally yell like that. When they were captured by the C3, Mahiru instantly called out for Kuro when he awoke. Mahiru kept rejecting the offer of helping out C3 to capture Tsubaki, saying that he won't decide without Kuro's consent. He used a dangerous amount of energy trying to escape and when he was reunited with Kuro, the first thing he asked him is if he was alright. Then, they both had a talk with each other, Mahiru asking if Kuro was keeping any secrets from him. Kuro responded that he is but can't tell him cause it may get him killed. He surprised Kuro by telling him that he doesn't need to tell him, saying that he trusts him and to not forget that he will always be beside him, that they are partners, making Kuro secretly happy. Over all, Mahiru cares a lot about Kuro and his well-being and trusts him more than anyone else and wants to become great friends.

Sakuya
Sakuya is Mahiru's best friend, both always hung out together after school with their other two friends. Even after Sakuya is revealed to be Tsubaki's subclass and has been manipulating his memories about being childhood friends while in fact they only knew each other for a year, Mahiru still considers Sakuya as a friend. This feeling grew stronger once Mahiru knows Sakuya's past and his true feeling, making him determined to stop Tsubaki so Sakuya can be freed. Sakura initially only befriends Mahiru out of boredom, but grew to cherish their friendship more than his loyalty for Tsubaki. Their friendship became stronger after Mahiru reaches out to Sakuya and vows to free him, making Sakuya glad and grateful for Mahiru for finding him.

Misono Alicein
When they first met, Misono wanted to take Kuro away from him, giving a bad impression to Mahiru. After knowing Misono's reason to fight, Mahiru decides to help him since is able to relate with his feeling of wanting to protect those whoa re important to them. Misono was very happy when Mahiru offers to become his friend since it was the first time someone willing to become his friend, which he usually hides out of embarrassment. It doesn't take long time for Misono to become protective of his first friend, saving Mahiru when he was attacked by Tsubaki's subclasses, risking his life to do so. Mahiru's friendliness and open minded personality quickly made him understood how nice Misono actually is despite his outward trait and regards Misono as one of his close friends, worrying about his weak body and will help him if he is in trouble. Even though Misono doesn't interact well with others and has a grumpy personality, Mahiru and Misono overall are good friends.

Mikuni Alicein
Mahiru's first impression on Mikuni is that the older man is a weird person due to his fondness for his doll and gets annoyed whenever the man accuses him of staring at his doll or Misono with lewd eyes. They also have a contradicting view regarding how they deal with their enemies; while Mahiru objects to kill his enemies, Mikuni thinks it's necessary to kill them. Despite their difference, Mahiru doesn't think badly of Mikuni since he saved him and Mikuni quickly became a mentor to Mahiru, helping him train his powers to work well with Kuro. Even after being told by Misono not to trust him, Mahiru still respects Mikuni and trusts him to a certain degree. Mikuni views Mahiru as a naive boy, but doesn't hate him for it since the boy befriends his younger brother.

Quotes

 * "I'm Mahiru Shirota, 15 years old. I like to keep things simple. Try to keep life uncomplicated. That's why I picked up a cat. Well, I thought he was a cat, but looks can be deceiving."
 * "For vampires like you guys, right now might seem like just a moment, but… no, it’s the same for humans. A lot of things will change - nothing can stay the same forever. But those moments individually are what I love." (to Kuro, Hyde and Snow Lily)
 * "Right. I... wanted to become an adult who could face anyone… Yet I've never faced you. I acted like I didn’t know how to... and played the nice guy, but I just ran away from you. Kuro... thanks to you I was able to do so many things I couldn't have done on my own. This time it would have been my turn to help you out with something you couldn't do alone... I’m sorry, Kuro...!”
 * "I'll name you...Kuro!"
 * "I like simple!" (to Kuro)
 * "Nothing's interesting to you because you don't face your feelings honestly. It's no wonder you're so bored! You feel like no one understands you, but you don't even understand yourself! So how is anyone else supposed to care about what you want?!" (to Tsubaki)
 * "If you start this war...I'll stop you! Guaranteed!" (to Tsubaki)
 * "Are you hurt, Kuro?! Damn that Tsubaki!"
 * "Your baby brother is evil!" (to Kuro)
 * "I...need to do this. All my life, I've been protected. Now it's time to protect others." (to Kuro)
 * "I'll never, ever regret...picking up Kuro. No way." (thinking about what Kuro said)
 * "Meet my stray cat...He's called Kuro. Can I keep him? Please?" (to Uncle Tooru)
 * "Sorry about earlier...I never said thanks...For all your help." (to Kuro)
 * "Never!! His power helped me with Sakuya! I wanna get tough...and be a real partner to him!" (to Mikuni when he suggested to break the bond between him and Kuro)
 * "Of course, you idiot! Why else would I risk my life?!" (to Kuro after he asked him if he trusts him)
 * "Kuro! Do you...laze around at school...to help me relax?" (to Kuro)
 * "Kuro!! Cut the cute kitty act!" (to Kuro)
 * "Oh...Whatever. I...don't really care. Some people see a full moon...Others see only a sliver. Kuro is my partner. I'll ask him about humans and vampires. He knows which weapon is right for me." (to the arguing Mikuni and Hugh)
 * "Huh? Kuro? You never yell like that..." (to Kuro after he suggested the help of C3)
 * "These so-called 'adults'  may have prepared a correct answer, but I've got a better idea! Kuro and I will decide what to do! On our own!"
 * "I'll kill that lazy cat myself! How could he forget to tell me something so important?!" (after Tsuyuki tells him that if Mahiru and Kuro are separated for too long, they'll eventually die)
 * "I found you!! Are you okay?! Hey! That's my jacket!" (to Kuro after reuniting with him)
 * "So you just wanna...keep me safe?" (to Kuro)
 * "No problem. You don't hafta tell me. I trust you. And I've been there. Kuro...I'm your partner. And I'm always here to help you out. Don't forget that!" (to Kuro after he told Mahiru he can't tell him his secrets)
 * "What makes you think you know what's best? Sitting there drinking black coffee and calling me a child doesn't make you mature! And if adults murder... then I'll stay a kid who likes chugging orange soda!" (to Tsuyuki)
 * "You want them broken? Why do you keep using that word? Why do you wanna break them? Maybe you've never seen a vampire rolling on the floor, while videogames and eating potato chips. Or a vampire who apologizes for lying while crying tears of regret. Or a vampire who just wants to be left alone, but he will still save the life of a human he just met. I've been around many vampires lately, and believe me, not all of them are bad. In fact, some of them are new friends. I don't really know what kind of history C3 has with vampires, or what you're trying to do, but thinking simply, I wanna keep anyone from gettting hurt, human or vampire." (to Tsuyuki)

Trivia

 * Mahiru's name contains the Kanji for "true" (真), "noon" (昼), "castle"(城) and "rice field" (田). "城," can also be read the same as the Japanese word for "white," which is meant to contrast Kuro's name, meaning "black" (クロ).
 * ​His favorite food is Japanese hamburger with grated radish.
 * His favorite color is orange.
 * He was nicknamed Mahi Mahi by Kuro in the Drama CDs.
 * His seiyū (Japanese Voice Actor), Takuma Terashima, sings the the ending theme of the anime, Sunlight Avenue.
 * In the first popularity poll he came second with 3145 votes.
 * He has mentioned in the 'Servamp Drama CD "The Vampire-only Summer Vacation" - Episode 3 that he was the school representative for freestyle swimming, having to swim 100 meters, when he was elementary school.
 * His star-sign is Cancer.
 * His favorite drinks are barley tea & orange juice.
 * He dislikes the rainy season (because it gets the laundry wet).
 * His hobby is housework.
 * His favorite subjects are physical education, home economics, and Japanese, while his weak subject is English.
 * In Junior High he was part of the track team.
 * In summer, he usually wears T-shirt and jersey because they're quite loose and comfortable for when he sleeps and are also quite easy to wash.
 * He likes eating watermelon during summer, especially if he's eating with his friends.
 * Kuro thinks that Mahiru's strong point is his good cooking, while his weak point is he keeps telling the vampire to do this and that and never take a break from cleaning even during the weekend.
 * In episode 3,Tsubaki wondered if Mahiru would become the key.